Paula Canny, an attorney representing Eliana Lopez, speaks to reporters outside the Hall of Justice on Monday, March 12, 2012, in San Francisco. Earlier in the day, Lopez's husband Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment stemming from an incident at the couple's home.

Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle

Paula Canny, an attorney representing Eliana Lopez, speaks to...

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San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves court after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment on Monday, March 12, 2012, in San Francisco. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped a domestic violence charge and two other misdemeanor counts stemming from a New Year's Eve incident at Mirkarimi's home.

Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves court after pleading...

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Lidia Stiglich, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's defense attorney, speaks to reporters after Mirkarimi pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment on Monday, March 12, 2012, in San Francisco. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped a domestic violence charge and two other misdemeanor counts stemming from a New Year's Eve incident at Mirkarimi's home.

Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle

Lidia Stiglich, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's defense attorney, speaks...

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San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Aguilar Tarchi, chief prosecutor in Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's domestic abuse case, leaves court after Mirkarimi pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment on Monday, March 12, 2012, in San Francisco. Asked if justice had been served by the plea agreement, she said, "yes."

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves court after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment on Monday, March 12, 2012, in San Francisco. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped a domestic violence charge and two other misdemeanor counts stemming from a New Year's Eve incident at Mirkarimi's home.

(03-12) 19:57 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The criminal case against San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is winding down, but the political case against him may be only beginning.

Mirkarimi pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment in connection with an incident in which he allegedly inflicted a bruise on his wife, Eliana Lopez, during a heated argument.

In exchange, San Francisco prosecutors dropped a domestic violence charge and two other misdemeanor counts filed against Mirkarimi in January, less than two weeks after he was sworn in as sheriff. Mirkarimi, 50, was still serving on the Board of Supervisors at the time of the New Year's Eve incident.

Under the plea agreement, Mirkarimi will be sentenced Monday to three years' probation, one year of weekly domestic violence batterers classes, parenting classes, 100 hours of community service, and fines and court fees nearing $600.

Mirkarimi originally had faced more serious charges of domestic violence battery, dissuading a witness and child endangerment in connection with the incident, which authorities say took place in front of the couple's 2-year-old son. He had pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Prosecutors and other attorneys involved with the case would not elaborate on what facts led to the new charge of false imprisonment. More details may become available during sentencing.

Misconduct charges?

Monday's guilty plea to the new charge was a stunning turn in the legal case that has gripped San Francisco politically and generated international headlines.

Now Mayor Ed Lee must decide whether to file official misconduct charges against Mirkarimi, which could result in his forced removal from office.

Lee said he hopes to reach a decision quickly after conferring with legal counsel.

"This clearly remains serious and troubling for our city. ... I understand the troubling nature that this guilty plea raises, given the sheriff's role in overseeing and incarcerating criminals in our county jails," Lee said.

Lee said he will focus on whether Mirkarimi's plea of false imprisonment inherently conflicts with the office. He said his "gut feeling" was that there is a conflict - one that didn't necessarily exist with the earlier charges.

An official misconduct charge brought by the mayor would trigger a hearing before the city's independent Ethics Commission. That panel would then present its findings to the Board of Supervisors, the tribunal that ultimately would decide Mirkarimi's fate. At least nine of the 11 supervisors would have to vote to remove him from the office that voters elected him to in November for a four-year term.

Staying put

Mirkarimi showed no indication that he plans to step down.

"For the last two months, this case has caused my family, my department - the Sheriff's Department - and this city great turmoil and pain and disappointment. This plea allows us to move forward," he said.

"I intend to return to the business of running one of the finest sheriff's departments in this nation, of mending my family and raising my son, Theo, in a safe and happy home," he added.

In addition to the prospect of a misconduct charge, Mirkarimi also could face a recall campaign. So far, there have been no serious stirrings that one will be initiated.

Before his guilty plea, Mirkarimi offered a courtroom apology to the Sheriff's Department and the people of San Francisco. He also apologized to Ivory Madison, a neighbor who made a videotape of his bruised wife and alerted police to the incident. District Attorney George Gascón required the public apology to Madison as part of the plea agreement.

"If we are committed to ending domestic violence, we in law enforcement must continue to encourage witnesses to come forward because it is the right thing to do for the victim, for the community and for our city," Gascón said.

The video that Madison shot of Lopez, 36, on Jan. 1 showed Lopez displaying a large bruise on her right bicep that she said Mirkarimi had inflicted. She tearfully told Madison that Mirkarimi had been angered by her plans to take their son with her on a trip to her native Venezuela. Subsequently, Lopez made repeated public statements that her husband did not abuse her.

Lopez refused to cooperate with authorities. The prosecution had been basing its case on the video and had been successful so far in turning back legal efforts by attorneys for Mirkarimi and Lopez to keep it out of the trial.

Wife supports the deal

"My client's position is he's a great politician, he's a great sheriff, and also the sole source of income for her right now. ... I think she's relieved - relieved and hopeful," Canny added.

Mirkarimi, who initially had been kept by the court from seeing his son, still must abide by a stay-away order that prohibits him from having any contact with his wife until the trial court agrees to lift the restraint. That process won't begin until he has begun the domestic violence program.

Until the stay-away order is lifted, Mirkarimi will be prevented from possessing or using firearms. The sheriff had to turn in his guns when the charge of domestic violence was filed.

The deal between prosecutors and Mirkarimi to amend the charges was reached Sunday night, said his defense attorney, Lidia Stiglich. Jury selection was to have continued Monday.

"Obviously, this is a compromise for him to try to resolve this and get it behind him," Stiglich said.

Matter of perception

That won't be easy.

"When you're talking about politics, perception is everything," said political consultant Chris Lee. "He's always going to be tagged as the sheriff who was guilty of domestic violence, regardless of the ultimate charge. And from a political standpoint, that's going to be hard to defend. Will people believe he has the moral authority to be sheriff?"

Aaron Peskin, the former Board of Supervisors president and Mirkarimi ally who now heads the local Democratic Party, couldn't predict his friend's political future.

"Now's the time for the sheriff to heal with his family, heal with the electorate," Peskin said.

"The whole concept of American jurisprudence is about rehabilitation and redemption," Peskin said. "And it sounds like he's going to be working on those things. Whether that works, only time will tell."

The charges

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi pleaded guilty to false imprisonment in a deal that led to prosecutors dropping other charges. Here are the legal details:

Guilty plea: Misdemeanor false imprisonment is defined by law as "the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another." The state Supreme Court has defined it as the "nonconsensual, intentional confinement of a person, without lawful privilege, for an appreciable length of time, however short." It can be prosecuted as a felony if it involves violence, threats or fraud.

The original charges, which were dismissed:

Misdemeanor domestic violence battery, defined as "any willful infliction of force or violence" against a spouse or other "intimate partner."

Misdemeanor child endangerment, defined as willfully causing or permitting any child to suffer "unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering" that does not amount to great bodily injury. For one who has the care or custody of a child, the crime consists of willfully causing or permitting the child to be "placed in a situation where his or her person or health may be endangered."

Misdemeanor dissuading of a witness, defined as deliberately preventing or dissuading "any witness or victim from attending or giving testimony at any trial, proceeding, or inquiry authorized by law." It is a felony if done by force or threats of force.